A Special Announcement from the Mohawk Valley SBDC - Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce

Mohawk Valley Small Business Development Center
Welcomes Paul Arvantides as Director

The Mohawk Valley Small Business Development Center has announced that Paul Arvantides has been appointed to the position of director. He will assume the role on November 9.

Arvantides has been a business advisor with the Mohawk Valley SBDC since 2017. During that time, he has provided business advisement services to a variety of small businesses and entrepreneurs engaged in starting, managing, growing, or purchasing a business.

Prior to his time with the SBDC, Arvantides acted as a business manager for Northwestern Mutual, was vice president and head of U.S. Services at E4E Healthcare Services LLC in Maryland, and was the president/owner of Medical Coding Services, Inc. out of Baldwinsville. Arvantides holds a bachelor’s degree in health information administration from SUNY Institute of Technology (now SUNY Polytechnic Institute) and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hamilton College.

As director, Arvantides will oversee the Mohawk Valley SBDC, which provides free one-on-one counseling and training to support local small business enterprises.

Arvantides is succeeding previous director Roxanne Mutchler, who is retiring after eleven years with the Mohawk Valley SBDC, during which she worked in a variety of capacities, including New York SBDC government contracting coordinator and acting director.

Farewell Message from the Director of the Mohawk Valley Small Business Development Center

It is with mixed emotions that I say “farewell” on November 6. I am sad to leave the SBDC and the many wonderful relationships established during my tenure; however, I am excited to retire and embark on my next chapter to have more time for family and volunteer activities.

To those of you who I have worked with in the past, thank you for the privilege of meeting you and working with you. You have been a highlight of my time at the SBDC and I have enjoyed getting to know you, answering your questions, and providing advisement and training opportunities. Your fortitude to overcome the challenges that have resulted from the pandemic is admirable, and I have been honored to be of assistance to you this year and in years past.

Thank you to our resource partners who have been a tremendous support and encouragement over the years. To our colleagues at banks, economic development agencies, chambers, colleges, and so many others – I appreciate your collaborating with us to assist the small businesses in our region. Together, we’ve made a difference and I know that your partnership with the SBDC will continue to help entrepreneurs to start new businesses and grow existing businesses in the counties we serve.

I am grateful to have worked with a fantastic team of advisors at our Center: Dave Lerman, Shelby Sweet, Paul Arvantides, Zach Steffen and Gina Hayduk. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and I couldn’t have asked for a more dedicated and supportive staff. We thoroughly enjoy teaming up with Ryan Miller and Stacey Smith at the thINCubator (the home for Innovative New Companies) to co-counsel some clients and host and sponsor events together. My special thanks to Frank DuRoss, MVCC Vice President of Community Development and Executive Director of the MVCC Foundation, who oversees MVCC’s thINCubator and has been the driving force in establishing and expanding the services offered there. President Randy VanWagoner and Frank DuRoss’s vision for entrepreneurship outreach is continually expanding and the SBDC is very pleased to be a part of those efforts. Please don’t hesitate to contact the SBDC advisors or thINC directors at any time to share your business’ hopes, dreams, ideas and challenges. They are always ready to lend a listening ear and thoughtful, realistic feedback and direction.

Thank you again for the time we’ve shared, and I wish you the very best in all of your future endeavors!

With heartfelt appreciation,
Roxanne K. Mutchler